Learning Situation
The soap
factory
Activities
Introduction
Situation: Oils are products that, once used, become useless, dirty and even unpleasant waste that, in the best of cases, constitute waste, if they are deposited in a clean point or suitable container. But… is it possible to give them a second life, through a treatment that transforms them into raw material? Is it possible to collect domestic oils or oils from small companies and workshops, in areas that do not have access to special containers for their storage? What interest can there be in this collection?
In order to use useless waste as raw material, we propose the creation of a company dedicated to soap manufacturing, taking advantage of the collection of oil.
We will begin by investigating the knowledge that students have about what a company is by detecting prior ideas, and then reinforcing these concepts through a first contact as outlined below.
Activity 1.
Background ideas
Students complete a simple form about the company: concept, components, legal requirements for creating companies, role for society and the environment, etc.
- Individual work completing the form. (Google Forms or pdf).
- Group-class work commenting and explaining the answers with the help of the teacher. Contributions from students whose families own a business can be collected and the importance of small and medium-sized businesses in the economy can be discussed.
Activity 2.
First contact
Visit to a local company or introductory talk by a business person who is interviewed in advance.
- The students, organized into work teams, prepare some questions related to the start-up of a company. They can visit different companies depending on the team.
- Sharing of the interviews carried out where the spokesperson for each team explains the information resulting from the interview.
Activity 3.
Entrepreneurship and proposal
Students propose their business idea and carry out a SWOT analysis of the proposed idea.
- Teamwork to develop a SWOT of the proposed idea with the help of the teacher.
- Presentation and explanation of the SWOT to the rest of the class.
Activity 4.
Market research
Market research to identify companies related to our product.
- Teamwork designing a survey to collect data from the environment. Carrying out the survey designed for the research.
- Using GIS, Google maps, consulting the town hall or land registry to find out what related companies may be established as well as their characteristics.
Activity 5.
Business planning and feasibility
Analysis of the main components for the company; bureaucratic or administrative costs, human resources, costs of raw materials, real estate and infrastructure, raw materials, production, technology, impact on the environment and society, advertising and marketing, etc.
- Work in teams establishing the possible costs and investments necessary for each particular company, analyzing the tax or tax aid for that type of company.
Activity 6.
Business plan development
Development of a business plan related to the acquisition of raw materials, transformation and production, and negotiation of the product.
- Students must investigate the process of transformation of their raw materials into a product and prepare a complete report.
Activity 7.
Business planning and feasibility
Advertising and marketing to publicize the company’s innovative aspects.
- Design of advertising campaign through a podcast, brochure, posters, video, etc. to be disseminated on social media, the press, the media, etc.
Activity 8.
Final product
To conclude the work carried out in this learning situation, a final product is proposed consisting of:
- Preparation of a complete portfolio, including all the documents produced in the tasks and activities.
- Writing of final conclusions justifying whether the factory is viable and the added value of the proposal. They must also collect the learning acquired as a self-assessment of errors committed.
- Presentation of the conclusions that each team has obtained to the rest of the class group. To do this, they can prepare appropriate material (wall, poster, slides, interactive presentation, etc.) that will be useful when making the presentation.
